I have a kingsnake in captivity and he wont eat mice, What should i feed him.?

As gross as this is, make it more enticing by ';braining'; the rat (please kill it humanely first), and that you crack open the skull to expose the brain.


I've also heard that just making them a bit bloody, or soaking them in chicken broth would do.


But based on their wild diet, if it's other snakes/reptiles, I'd try getting another snake, and rubbing the dead rat/mouse/whatever your feeding him on the other snake, so it smells like snake, but you're sparing it's life and getting to use it again and again.





But yeah, I'd google it, or go to the snakecommunity on livejournal. There's all kinds of crazy tricks.I have a kingsnake in captivity and he wont eat mice, What should i feed him.?
Most kings readily eat rodents. Sometimes when they are young, they prefer lizards and refuse rodents. The tendency to prefer lizards as young can be genetic, certain lines are more difficult to get started on rodents than others.





My personal experience with the lizard feeders, generally after 3 or 4 meals - they start accepting rodents.I have a kingsnake in captivity and he wont eat mice, What should i feed him.?
kingsnakes eat other snakes try a ribbon snake or garter snake if that doesn't work you will have 2 pet snakes
Kingsnakes use tend to be opportunistic when it comes to their diet; they will eat other snakes , lizards, rodents, birds, and eggs.


The most common reason for failure to feed is because the reptile isn't set up with the proper environment. ';Environment'; is the specifics of lighting, temperatures, humidity, furnishings, size, design and layout, and photoperiods. If any of these things are wrong for the species, it can cause reduction in appetite or a complete failure to feed.





A percentage of hatchling snakes will begin eating newborn mice without any problems and once started will generally continue to feed without problem. However, many snakes will be reluctant to start feeding. Here is a list of steps to use to start the hatchlings feeding:


Place a live pinky mouse in with the snake for a few hours. If uneaten, replace for awhile with a dead pinky.


Wash the pinky in soap and water, rinse and dry. Then present to the snake. Try a live, then a dead, one. Washing will remove some scent that can inhibit eating by some hatchlings.


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Rub a pinky with a small lizard such as an anole, swift, or fence lizard, to transfer some of the scent. Place a moistened section of a skin or shed skin from a lizard on the head and back of a pre-killed pinky.


Offer a small lizard ,snake,or frog. Every effort should be made to get the snakes to switch to mice as soon as possible, as lizards and frogs are not as readily available as mice, nor as cheap.


If your snake is not a juvenile this tips will still work(prekilled rodents are preferre) but some ,ore advice-


Try multicolored or colored mice. There are no albino mice in the wild - at least, not enough for any animal to imprint on them.


Dip the prekilled mouse in warmed chicken broth.


Cut open the skull with a razor blade(known as Braining)





http://www.anapsid.org/king.html


http://www.anapsid.org/hatchlin.html


http://www.anapsid.org/feedingtips.html





Some people may be against feeding it other snakes(such as garters,corns,ect) but it would be more cruel to let your snake starve.
milk
As far as I know a King snake is called that because they are kings over other snakes. Where I come from (Louisiana) they prefer eating other snakes. Even saw one do it once. Whether or not they like mice is something I have never heard of. They are constrictors. You might try just letting the snake go and let it find it's own food. A snake should not be a pet at any rate.
I have a Cali. King - try feeding it rat pups or if it is grown try rats. If he refuses this try gerbils. I read the above answers and they are crap.
How long have you had him? If you got him from a pet store recently you should check with them. Find out the last time they feed him. IF that doesn't work it might not be happy with its environment and you should look up what all they like and make some adjustments. If you did just get it I think you have a return policy for animals and you can probably exchange for a new. You can always google it.
If he is young, try anoles (lizards) we have some picky eaters too!!!!!! either they wont eat ft pinkies or they wonteat live ones either! So Feeder anoles are good!!
http://www.geocities.com/kingbones7/care鈥?/a>


';Feeding: Kingsnakes do very well on a diet of just mice. Baby and juvenile snakes should be fed pinkies(newborn mice). As your snake grows you should give it larger prey items.Petstores usually sell them in stages from pinkies to fuzzies to hoppers to small adults and large adults.You should feed your snake every 7-10 days. Most herpers suggest to feed frozen mice to eliminate the possibility of mites and disease and possible harm to your snake from a biting and scratching mouse. If you choose to feed frozen mice it is VERY important to make sure the mouse is properly dethawed all the way through or it may cause severe digestive problems for your snake.The best way to dethaw a mouse is to put it in a small pan or dish with hot water till it feels soft and warm all the way through.(usually 15 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the mouse) If you choose to feed your snake live prey it's better to ';pre-kill'; or stun the mouse so it won't harm your snake.This can be done in several ways. I've heard of putting the mouse in a small bag and slamming it to a hard surface. Another thing I've heard of ,but never tried, is to grab the mouse by the tail and behind the head and pull in opposite directions (this is supposed to break its spine instantly, thus killing it).I've never tried it so I can't positively say if it works or not. Another thing you can do is to put it in a plastic sandwich bag and suffocate it. It's best to twist as much air out of the bag to shortern the time it takes. You can also make a simple CO2 chamber, which is considered the most humane way of euthanizing a mouse. Or you can just put it in with your snake and risk having the mouse bite or scratch your snake. One thing to remember when feeding a snake is that you should feed it outside it's tank or enclosuer.If you don't, you risk having the snake think it's feeding time whenever you open it's tank, and run the risk of the snake ingesting it's substrate with it's meal.The last thing to remember is not to touch the mouse with your hands as this will leave it's scent on you and your snake might think your a mouse and bite.';
Sometimes feeding a dead mouse that has been ';brained';...head cut open to expose brain will get a picky one eating.





Another option is to wrap dead rodent is a shed snake skin, rub it against another snake, lizard or toad to scent it.